


A Multiverse for a Prince

by LynsFantasy



Series: A Multiverse of Shipping [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adopted Children, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Domestic, Alternate Universe - Human, Beta Lotor, Complex family, Courtship, Cuddles, Declarations Of Love, Does it count if they're already dating?, Drabble Collection, Emperor Lotor, F/M, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forgiveness, Good End, Healthy Relationships, Hospitals, Hospitals not knowing how to accomodate queer families, Hurt/Comfort, I swear I did research, Idiots in Love, Injury, Kid Fic, Kissing, Lance is on Lotor's team, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, Multishipping, Narti (Voltron) Lives, Narti is unfortunately still gone, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Poisoning, Polyamorous Primaries, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Polyamory is confusing, Positive Depictions of Lotor, Post-Season/Series 05, Reconciliation, Redeemed lotor, Safe For Work, Season 6 Need Not Apply, Ship Positivity, Soft Lotor, Team Sincline Reunion, They were dating but they weren't PRIMARIES dating, Traitorous Lancelot, general lance, just to clarify
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-06-05 09:25:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15167663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynsFantasy/pseuds/LynsFantasy
Summary: In a thousand other realities, everything turns out better for him.This is a multiship drabble collection for Lotor ships, particularly focusing on softer and/or redeemed versions of Lotor. Some ships will be within Team Sincline (as in, Lotor x General ships), while others will be Palotor (aka Lotordin, as in, Lotor x Paladin ships), and a few may be other assorted Lotor ships. No matter what,these ships, and especially Lotor himself, will be portrayed positively.(Or, in other words, I have a lot of salt about season 6, and I am trying to find a healthy outlet for it.)Every Lotor ship deserves good, clean, positive content.





	1. Lotor/Ezor - Canon Divergence - Courtship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This diverges from canon _after_ season 5, so Narti's death still stands. But that doesn't mean that forgiveness is impossible (especially since, really, it was Haggar's fault).

It took Acxa, Ezor, and Zethrid a little while to realize just how corrupt and manipulative Haggar was, and by that point, it was nearly too late. They kept hesitating, not sure whether to stay or leave, until they discovered that it had been Haggar's fault, ultimately, that Narti had died. Acxa, Zethrid, and Ezor barely managed to escape from Haggar, running to safety with the only person who _might_ take them back and be able to shield them from Haggar – Lotor.

They turned themselves over, half-expecting to be locked up in a prison cell. After all, Lotor had no reason to trust them again. Instead, Lotor asked them to join him for dinner so that they could sit and talk about it, and he gave them comfortable rooms at HQ meant for high-ranking officers -- as if they still held their rank of "general".

They talked through everything. A few tears were shed (mostly from Ezor and Zethrid), but by the end of it all, they had come to an understanding and mutual forgiveness.

As the girls were about to leave for their rooms for the night, Ezor changed her mind and turned back to Lotor, quickly tackling him in a hug. Lotor stiffened at first, but then he wrapped his arms around her to reciprocate, and Ezor felt a warm, tingly feeling she couldn't quite identify.

Then Zethrid and Acxa joined in, and all felt right in the universe.

Over the next few days, they got used to working as a team again. They all still missed Narti dearly, but now they could find comfort and strength in each other. And Ezor started to again feel the same sort of feelings she had around Lotor before everything went wrong. She felt... like she constantly wanted his attention. Like she wanted to impress him. Like she wanted to be close to him.

She'd never dared to make a move before, but something seemed different now. Before, although Lotor was always respectful of them, he _had_ always been above them. Now, it felt more like they were equals, which was bizarre, considering that he was now truly and officially their emperor.

Maybe it was just that Ezor now understood how fragile good things could be, and she didn't want to hold back and watch everything crumble apart again.

So Ezor started getting bolder. She made a point to sit by Lotor at mealtimes and during leisure times. She didn't salute him or else only playfully saluted him. She dared to stand at his right hand even while he was seated on the throne. She even sat on the arm of the throne at one point, but Acxa quickly chided her for that -- though, interestingly enough, Lotor hadn't seemed to mind quite so much.

After a while, Ezor decided to be honest with herself about her feelings. She liked Lotor, romantically speaking. And sure, maybe he was royalty and the _emperor_ now or whatever and maybe she didn't even technically have a rank anymore, but... he was still the same person he'd been when they'd met. To Ezor, Lotor was still that determined spitfire rebel prince who believed he could get everything even though he had nothing. And now that he had everything, he still fought to do more and be better and to lead his people the way they needed to be led.

Ezor knew that Lotor would never make the first move. He was too busy, and he honestly probably hadn't even realized that Ezor liked him. If Ezor was going to get what she wanted, she was going to have to do this herself. And if she was going to do this, she was going to do this _right_. He was royalty, after all. And, honestly, he was _Lotor_ , so of _course_ Ezor needed a grand romantic gesture just as fabulous and dramatic as the man himself.

She enlisted not just Zethrid's and Acxa's help (with Acxa mildly disapproving and saying that Ezor really should just write a letter or something while Zethrid encouraged Ezor to go bigger and bolder), but also the help of some of the paladins. When Lance heard that there was some kind of grand romantic gesture happening, he was instantly onboard with it, and he dragged along Hunk and Pidge to help, too.

Together, they made a large flower arrangement that spelled out "Lotor <3 Ezor" (mostly Ezor's and Lance's work), set up a large screen with a scrolling message of "Lotor, may I court you?" (mostly Pidge's work, with Acxa dictating the message to make sure that it was properly formal), and a large arrangement of all of Lotor's favorite sweets (made mostly by Hunk, with Zethrid's very enthusiastic help and advisement). But the most important piece was the actual courtship gift -- a beautiful bracelet of delicate intertwining silver wires with crystals in dark and light shades of both purple and blue added in so perfectly that they seemed to be floating between the wires -- courtesy of Allura, who said that it was a relic of Altea, but something that didn't really match her style, so she thought that Lotor would appreciate it more.

Once everything was in place, Acxa went to get Lotor. She led him into the room where everything was set up. As Lotor stood frozen, seemingly stunned by the whole display, Ezor bowed to him, taking his hand and kissing the back of it, before holding out the bracelet to him in her hand and asking if she might court him.

Lotor was so flustered that he immediately blushed, his whole face turning a dark shade of purple-blue, and he stuttered for the first time Ezor could _ever_ remember. Lotor was not the kind of person to stutter or be rendered speechless, but it seemed that no words would come to him. He gave up on trying to speak and simply nodded, holding out his wrist so that Ezor could put the bracelet on it. When Ezor had finished and stood up straight again, Lotor immediately hugged her, and he finally found his words as he asked if he could kiss her... to which she laughingly replied that _of course_ he could kiss her.

Their kiss was long and sweet, and Ezor could see tears shining in Lotor's eyes when he finally pulled away. Ezor didn't even realize that she was crying too until Lotor brushed away the tear-tracks on her cheeks before leaning in for another kiss.

This was the start of something great.


	2. Polycline - ABO/Canon Divergence - Pack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you don't know, Polycline is the ship name for Lotor/Acxa/Ezor/Narti/Zethrid.
> 
> Narti lives! I wanted a full Polycline ship, which includes her, so in this version of canon divergence, she survives. You're welcome.
> 
> There's background referenced Polydins here, but it's not described in detail or even particularly relevant.
> 
> For this chapter, I utilize a complex version of ABO, a system I designed myself. I think everything that is actually relevant is explained in the narration, so you shouldn't need any background, but if you would like to know more, you can view a document I made about it [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gsn4MUJThlBtM_ZJnMt_uXhYWGfVk85FXRNqXXQFSUY/edit?usp=sharing).

Packs, as they say, are led by the Alpha of the group, who watches over and protects their weaker mates. The others follow the Alpha, with any Betas being higher up in position than and more protective of Omegas, and Omegas being the emotional backbone of the pack structure. Packs, of course, can be purely platonic or be primarily platonic while containing mated pairs, but polyamorous packs are not uncommon.

Lotor and his girls did things a little... differently.

From the outside, they looked pretty typical -- Lotor was an Alpha and their leader, Zethrid and Acxa were Alphas but subordinate, Narti was a Beta, and Ezor was an Omega.

Less than half of that statement was true.

In truth, Lotor wasn't even close to being an Alpha. He took suppressants and wore fake pheromones to _appear_ as an Alpha, but he was actually a dynamic unknown to Galra -- a kataBeta. kataBeta was an Altean dynamic for a Beta with Omega tendencies, tendencies that Lotor had been hiding ever since he Presented.

Zethrid and Narti didn't even officially _have_ dynamics. The other halves of their mixed heritage didn't have dynamics like Galra did, so while their personalities lined up well enough with being Alpha and Beta respectively, they didn't naturally have the pheromones and biology to go alone with those dynamics.

Acxa _was_ indeed an Alpha, but, due to her mixed heritage, she didn't have all of the hormones and instincts that usually went along with that.

The only person who was truly "normal" was Ezor, and she was about as far from a typical Omega in terms of personality as a person could get.

But, of course, they didn't care that none of them lined up with Galra standards for dynamics. Lotor was their pack leader regardless of his "lesser" dynamic, and the rest of them fell into place in a harmonious structure of their own. Whenever they all piled into their nest in their ship, they felt content and safe.

Of course, it all fell apart when Zarkon woke up. Lotor struck Narti with the hilt of his blade, causing her to crumple, unconscious, and the others immediately reacted with shock and dismay. Lotor tried to explain that Narti was a spy, but the other girls couldn't believe him. They temporarily compromised by bringing Narti's unconscious body aboard the Sincline ships as they left, but when Lotor wanted to put her into cryo-stasis, the others refused, and the argument became heated enough that Lotor, realizing that the other girls were going to let Narti wake up and let the witch take control of her again, finally left, fearing for his own life and hoping that maybe, just maybe, the witch would spare the girls if he wasn't there.

The witch did not leave the girls alone, but she did spare their lives, recruiting them to serve her. Meanwhile, while Lotor stayed with the Paladins, he tried to figure out some solution that would free Narti from the witch's power.

After Allura gained the secrets of Altean Alchemy from Oriande, Lotor wondered whether her newfound power could free Narti. There was only one way to find out. With the Paladins' help, Lotor set up a trap for his mates. He didn't like the fact that he had to be duplicitous about this, but he saw no other way. After the girls had been captured, Allura went to Narti and figured out how to sever the link between her and Haggar. Lotor then explained to the girls exactly what had happened and offered them a choice -- if they wanted to leave, he wouldn't stop them, but if they wanted to stay, he would forgive them for turning against him and let them stay by his side again.

Once the girls had heard the full story, they forgave Lotor, and all five of them became a pack again. Lotor was relieved -- being around the Paladins in their big, happy poly pack had only served to remind him just how lonely he was without his mates –- and he felt content as they curled up together in their nest again, safe and happy.

They'd gone through a rough patch, but they were together again, and that was what mattered.


	3. Lotor/Shiro/Keith - Human/Domestic AU - ER Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place in a human AU. Lotor, Shiro, and Keith have an adopted preteen daughter together. The daughter's name was chosen by a random name generator because I had no clue what to name her.
> 
> Warning for mention of injury.

Balancing running a business with maintaining a family was hard work. Lotor worked hard all day and then came home to his small household – himself, Shiro, Keith, and their adopted preteen daughter Muireann. The household was easy enough to manage with his husbands’ help, but the business was especially exhausting. Even with his loving husbands and his capable friends helping out, Lotor still felt wiped out by the end of the day. But there were always certain things that could jolt him awake instantly -- going out for dinner, watching a movie, playing a board game...

...or, in this case, a call from the local hospital.

When he read the caller ID, Lotor was baffled, but he of course answered immediately. "Hello. Lotor Sincline speaking." He fell back on formalities, trying to hide his concern.

"Mr. Sincline." The receptionist's voice was calm in a way that did not reassure Lotor at all. "Castle City Junior High has you listed as first contact for Muireann Sincline, and she was admitted in the ER just a few minutes ago."

The world seemed to freeze in place, but Lotor managed to say, "I will be there shortly. Thank you." He slowly hung up and set his phone down, trying to think through what he needed. He had to gather his things, call his husbands...

"Lotor? What's wrong?"

He turned around to see Acxa. "Reann. She's in the hospital. I need to leave."

Acxa nodded. "Go. I'll take care of everything here."

"Thank you." Lotor grabbed his coat and phone, immediately calling Shiro and Keith as he left.

Five minutes later, the three partners piled into Lotor's car together, driving in tense silence until they got to the hospital. Hospital staff directed them to a waiting area in the correct wing of the hospital, and they found a woman waiting there. Lotor didn't recognize her at all, but Shiro approached her, and the two began discussing what happened to Reann. From their conversation, Lotor easily concluded that this woman must have been a teacher at the school. She explained that Reann had been playing with some friends right after school got out and had been dared to climb a pole. She fell and hit her head quite hard, so she had been rushed to the ER.

After Shiro had thanked the teacher for accompanying Reann, he joined Lotor and Keith on the other side of the room. "Come on," he said gently, "let's sit down while we wait."

Lotor sat next to Shiro and leaned against him for comfort. Keith tried to sit, but his natural restlessness combined with his worry soon had him standing up again, pacing around as they waited for any news about their daughter's condition. The teacher stayed for a little while longer before she excused herself to leave, and Shiro and Lotor again thanked her for her help.

Twenty more long, tense minutes went by before a nurse came out. "Mr. Sincline, and..." They paused, as many did, checking over their notes. Although polyamory was becoming more widely accepted, official forms rarely accommodated it, and some people were still caught off-guard by it. "And Mr. Shirogane, _and_ Mr. Kogane?"

"That would be us," Lotor said, standing up to approach them. Shiro and Keith gravitated to either side of him.

The poor nurse looked a little nervous, which, considering how intense Lotor, Shiro, and Keith could look, was probably justified. "You're all Muriann's... guardians?"

"We're her fathers," Shiro corrected far more calmly than Lotor probably could have at the moment.

The nurse looked at their notes again. "R-right, well, the doctor says that immediate family can come visit her now. She has a moderate concussion, but with proper rest, she should make a full recovery. Please, follow me."

"Thank you," Lotor and Shiro said almost in unison. The three men followed the nurse to a room, and they saw Riann resting inside. Keith was the first to rush to the bed, brushing past the nurse to check on their daughter. Lotor and Shiro followed at only a marginally calmer pace, surrounding Riann's bed.

Riann offered them a sheepish smile. "H-hi Papa, Dad, Father," she greeted nervously, looking at Keith, Shiro, and Lotor in turn. "I don't suppose you heard what happened...?"

"We did," Shiro said calmly. "Your teacher informed us."

Keith took Riann's hand, holding it tightly. "Are you okay?"

Riann nodded slightly, then winced as if the movement hurt. "Y-yeah, I'll be fine. I'm really sorry. I just--"

"Don't worry about that right now," Lotor said soothingly. "Just rest. We'll talk later."

"Thanks, Father." She gave him a small smile, relaxing back into the bed.

They talked for a while about other things, keeping the conversation light and positive. There'd be some _discussions_ later about accepting dares, but for now, the little family was just happy to be together.


	4. Lancelot/Lancline - Canon Divergence - Primary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance likes the perks of being on Lotor's team, including being part of the polyamorous relationship they share. But... well, Lance considers himself somewhat more of a traditional romantic, and while he really does love Lotor and the girls, he feels like something's missing.

"Lotor?"

"Hmm? What is it, my jewel?" Lotor asks, looking over at Lance with casual interest. The nickname is part pet-name, part inside joke, and it almost never fails to make Lance smile.

But Lance isn't smiling at the moment.

Lotor sits up, looking at Lance more intently. They're alone in the lounge room aboard Lotor's ship at the moment, not doing anything in particular. They just so happen to both be on break at the moment while the girls are managing the ship. Usually, when Lance is on break, he likes to hang out with and talk to whomever else is on break, often while cuddling with them, but Lotor realizes that Lance has been oddly quiet and withdrawn today. He leans forward and asks, "What's the matter, Lance?"

Lance is sitting on one of the couches, and he draws his legs up to his chest, curling in on himself like he's trying to hide. "I... I don't know. I'm..." He shakes his head.

A guess comes into Lotor's mind, and he's almost too scared to voice it, but Lance's happiness is more important than his own. "Do you regret joining my team? Do you want to go back to--"

"No! No, that's not it at all. I'm happy here with you, and with the girls. It's just..." Again, he trails off.

"Do you miss your home?"

"I..." Lance's eyebrows draw together. "Well, yeah, but that's not what's bothering me."

After another moment of silence, Lotor gets up, coming over to the couch and sitting down near Lance, though he leaves some space between them. He doesn't want to invade Lance's space, but he wants Lance to know that he can turn to him for comfort.

It seems to work. Lance shifts over, leaning against Lotor and then curling up into his side. Lotor wraps an arm around him, keeping him close.

Finally, Lance says, "I think maybe this polyamory thing isn't really working for me."

"How so?"

"I mean..." He sighs. "I really do care about you and about the girls, and I know you all care about me, and that's great, I promise. I guess I just... I grew up with such a traditional view of romance, the idea of being the most important person in someone else's life. And I know that I'm just... I'm just one of those people for you guys, because you all love each other just as much. And..." His voice grows quieter as he admits, "I feel like I'm the person you all care about least out of everyone. I feel like I'm just an addition, like you would all be fine without me. Especially... especially the girls."

Lotor feels at a loss for how best to help and comfort Lance. What can he say to that? But, as he thinks about it... "I suppose I know how you feel, to a certain extent. The girls are all very close, and they all treat each other as equal partners. I sometimes feel like I am... separate, like perhaps they see me as above them. They will go to each other first before coming to me with any problems they might have, unless, of course, the problem requires my authority or expertise, in which case it feels no different than when any other subordinate comes to me."

Lance hums in understanding. "If it helps, I always think to go to you first. You're the one I feel closest to. I mean... I get along really well with Ezor, and I like hanging out with her and gossiping with her and stuff, but she's not exactly the best problem-solver. She and I are close, but... I don't know. It's different with you."

"And with Zethrid as her primary, Ezor is unlikely to come to anyone else first with any of her own issues, unless her issue is about Zethrid."

"Primary?" Lance cranes his neck to look up at Lotor questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"No one told you?" Lotor feels very surprised and somewhat concerned. "Ezor and Zethrid are specifically dating each other, above and beyond the mutual connection we all share. They prioritize their relationship with one another over their relationship with the rest of us."

"Ohhh... I just thought they were both playing favorites."

Lotor huffs a laugh. "Yes, well, that's essentially what being primaries means. They have officially declared that they are each other's favorite."

"And the rest of you don't have a problem with that?"

"Primaries are natural to some," Lotor explains. "There's nothing wrong with two people being primaries, so long as they communicate this with their other partners." He pauses for a moment to look at Lance, wondering how they had all failed to inform him of this. "Some, like Acxa, identify as solo poly, meaning that they do not have a primary and do not want one, preferring the independence of being their own most important person. She specifically prioritizes her own independence over her relationships, and she's happier that way. Narti does not particularly identify one way or the other, though she has never expressed a desire for a primary relationship."

"I see..." Lance seems to take a moment to process this. "And what about you?"

Lotor hesitates. It's not that he hasn't thought about this before; he's just not sure that he should share his answer. But, then again, Lance would probably appreciate the truth. "I must admit, the idea of a primary has always been attractive to me. It can be difficult, trying to be completely open and honest with multiple people and trying to rely on them all equally. In many ways, I tend to treat Acxa like a primary, going to her first for help and support, but she does not do the same with me. And though I treat her as a confidant, that does not mean that I have stronger romantic feelings for her than for any of the others. Our relationship really isn't any deeper than my relationship with the other girls."

Lance wraps his arm across Lotor's torso, as if trying to shield him from his disappointment. "I'm sorry."

"I'm alright," Lotor reassures him. "It's simply something that I have to deal with."

"I guess." He doesn't sound convinced. "So, we're in the same boat, huh?"

"I suppose we are."

The silence between them feels tenser now, and Lotor notices that Lance's lips are pressed together, like he's trying not to say something that he wants to say. "What is it?" Lotor prompts.

Lance looks up almost guiltily. "Well, I was just thinking... that primaries thing sounds like a good sort of compromise between regular dating and polyamory, you know? So maybe that would satisfy the part of me that wants to have a more traditional relationship without having to give up being with everyone on the team. And you like the idea of a primary, so maybe... maybe we could be primaries?"

Lotor freezes, his mind working overtime to try to process this idea.

"I mean," Lance starts to backtrack, sitting up and pulling away from Lotor, "we don't have to! Sorry, that's probably not how this works, is it? You're probably supposed to pick a primary based on that person being the one you love most or something, not based on convenience. Though, honestly, I started liking you first, and I _might_ actually like you more than any of the girls?"

"I-"

"Well, honestly, who am I kidding? I have crushes on all four of them, but if I had to pick just one person, it would definitely be you. You're so handsome and confident, but you're also really loving when you want to be, and, _ah_ , I don't know even know what I'm saying right now." Lance's eyes dart around the room, looking anywhere except at Lotor.

"La-"

"Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't have blurted that out! This must be so awkward for you. I mean, just because I like you more than the girls, that doesn't mean that you like _me_ any more than them, and I don't ever expect you to because you're so much closer with them, and you've been with them for so much longer-"

"Please-"

"-and I'm just a newbie!"

"Lance, j-"

"So yeah, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said all that at once. I guess I'm probably just lonely, and that's not a good reason to get into a relationship -- or in this case, I guess a deeper relationship? -- so I should've just kept my mouth shut even though I really do mean it: I'd pick you in a heartbeat, and-"

"LANCE!"

Stunned silence follows as Lance immediately shuts his mouth, looking at Lotor wide-eyed and startled. Lotor, realizing that he just scared him, winces and draws back, trying to give him a little space.

"Ah, uh, I'm sorry!" Lance apologizes, hesitantly reaching toward Lotor before starting to draw back again, leaving his hand suspended halfway between them.

Lotor takes a deep breath. "No, I should be apologizing. I... I didn't mean to yell like that. I was just trying to get your attention, but you kept talking... But, of course, that does not excuse my outburst."

"It's okay. I was just a little startled. I'm not scared or anything." To prove it, Lance scoots back over to Lotor's side, slowly and carefully taking one of one hands to hold. "What were you trying to say?"

Though he hesitates for a moment, Lotor says, "I simply... I wanted to tell you that I actually like that idea -- of being primaries, that is."

Lance's lips part, but for once, he seems speechless.

"And although it is difficult to compare the depth of my affection for you with the years of care and trust I have built with the girls, I think I can say with some confidence that my feelings for you are decidedly more romantic than for the others." He lightly strokes the back of Lance's hand with his thumb. "So, if you are alright with that, I think becoming primaries is an excellent idea."

The moment Lotor finishes speaking, Lance leans in, capturing his lips with his own. Lotor wraps his arms around him, guiding him onto his lap so that they can be closer together and deepen the kiss. When they break apart a moment later, both are breathless but smiling.

"Is that a yes?" Lotor teases.

Lance lightly thumps Lotor's chest with the back of his hand, feigning annoyance. "Of _course_ it's a yes, genius."

Lotor tips his head forward so that their foreheads touch and closes his eyes, focusing only on the feeling of having his lover in his arms. "I love you, Lance."

"I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not pictured: Lance and Lotor nervously breaking the news to the girls, Acxa giving them the flattest deadpan _'We know already'_ look, Zethrid rolling her eyes, Ezor saying, "It's about damn time," and Narti giving them a thumbs up.
> 
> Trust me, I do want to write something that's, like, _actually_ Lancline in that it shows Lance interacting with the girls as well as Lotor and shows how all of them are romantic with one another, but I'll have to save that for another time.


	5. Lotor/Lance - Canon Divergence - Antidote

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for a [kisses prompt](http://paladinpuppypile.tumblr.com/post/179483795559/send-me-a-ship-and-a-number-and-i-will-write-a). An anonymous person requested "goodnight" and "for good luck."
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: assassination attempt, poison
> 
> Diverges from canon at a point during s5, with the major difference being that no events after season 6, episode 1 apply at all. Lance and Lotor are already together by this point, and Lotor is doing his best at trying to unite the shattered empire and to end the widespread civil war and power struggles. It seems that someone out there is unhappy with the idea of Lotor in charge...

As the pain rose, Lotor's conscious awareness faded, until the pain was all that he could concentrate on. Then, slowly, the pain ebbed away to make room for the overwhelming nausea rolling up like a wave, making Lotor wish that there was something left in his stomach that he could throw up, if only to make the nausea subside. Slowly, by degrees, the nausea subsided, and he regained awareness of his surroundings.

"It's okay," Lance murmured, his voice trickling through the fuzzy feeling in Lotor's mind. "You're okay. Hang in there." A damp cloth came to Lotor's face, wiping away the sticky sweat that had beaded up during the last wave of pain.

"Thank you." Lotor's voice was weak and hoarse, barely above a whisper.

"Of course. I've got you." Lance held Lotor's hand in one of his own and rubbed his other hand soothingly across Lotor's aching abdomen. "Just hold on a little longer. Allura will locate the antidote soon, I'm sure of it."

Lotor nodded slightly. "Okay..." He turned his head slightly to the side, wanting nothing more than to sleep, but he could already feel the pain creeping in again.

Then, he heard the _whoosh_ of an opening door, and he cracked his eyes open to see Allura and Shiro entering. "Lance," Allura called, "I've located the antidote, but the area is dangerous. We'll have to take the Red Lion."

"I understand." Lance squeezed Lotor's hand reassuringly. "I'll be back before you know it, okay? Just hang on." He slipped his hand out of Lotor's.

On childish impulse, Lotor reached out, grabbing Lance's hand again. His mind was spinning, and he couldn't quite comprehend what was happening. Why... if Allura had found the antidote, why did Lance have to leave? But he couldn't string the words together to ask. His mind was already too muddled by the returning pain.

"Lotor, I need to go get the antidote and bring it back, okay?" Lance brought his other hand up to the side of Lotor's face. "Why don't you give me a kiss for good luck? That way, I'll be sure to find it quickly."  
  
Nodding slightly, Lotor tipped his head up as much as he could and allowed Lance to give him a brief kiss against his chapped lips. "Promise?"

"I promise." He pulled his hand out of Lotor's again, but this time, Lotor let him go.

The other three murmured amongst themselves for a moment. Then, Shiro appeared at Lotor's side. "I'm going to watch you while Lance is gone. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay." Lotor turned his head to the other side, away from Shiro, and tried to ride out the pain in silence.

~*~*~*~

Lotor had no sense of time. At one point, Shiro had started telling him stories to distract him from the misery of the poison's effects, but Lotor's concentration was so scattered by the waves of pain and nausea that he couldn't track the narratives. Still, Shiro's voice was soothing in its own way, and Lotor was grateful.

Finally, the door opened again, and Lotor looked over in that direction. There was Lance, looking tired and disheveled but alright, and Allura stood next to him, carrying a bowl and a small pastry. Lance rushed ahead of her to Lotor's side, taking Lotor's hand in his. "Hey, babe," he murmured, sounding relieved. "You-- everything's okay. We have the antidote."

"You do?" Lotor tried to muster up a smile. "Knew you could..." His voice sounded slurred even to his own ears, but it was so hard to speak when all he wanted to do was close his eyes, drift off...

"Hey, hey, we still need to give it to you, okay? You've gotta stay awake."

"Mm... 'kay." Lotor forced himself to look up at Lance again even though his eyelids felt horrendously heavy.

Lance brought a spoon up to Lotor's lips, and Lotor managed to open his mouth enough to take the spoon and its contents in. The spoon held some unappetizing greenish-brown paste, and the flavor was bitter and unappealing, but Lotor swallowed the paste anyways. He thought that would be it, but then Lance brought another spoonful to him, and another, and--

After the fifth spoonful, Lotor complained, "Isn't that enough? This tastes abhorrent."

Allura leaned over to look down at him. "You need to eat the entire bowlful to counteract the poison. If you need to drink some water with it, that's fine, but you cannot stop until you've finished all of it."

"Sorry, babe," Lance sympathized. "But Allura brought you a pastry you can eat afterwards!"

Lotor huffed, but he allowed Lance to feed him more of it.

Finally, Lotor had finished the bowlful, and Allura gave him the pastry. He ate it gratefully, letting its flavor drown out the aftertaste of the antidote. Then, Allura and Shiro both left, allowing Lotor and Lance to be alone together.

Lance walked around to the other side of the bed and lifted the covers, climbing under them to snuggle up with his boyfriend. "Hey, feeling better?"

"Mmm... not much just yet," Lotor admitted. "Perhaps less nauseated."

"It should kick in soon." Lance laid his hand on Lotor's abdomen, and the light pressure and heat felt soothing.

"Thank you... for taking care of me, and for getting the antidote."

"Of course! I love you. I'm not going to let you suffer when there's something I can do about it."

Lotor managed a small but grateful smile. "I love you, too."

Snuggling in somehow closer, Lance pressed up against him as much as possible. "Get some sleep, okay? You need it to recover."

"Okay," Lotor murmured. He turned his face toward Lance's, pressing their foreheads together. "Goodnight."

Lance briefly closed the tiny gap between their lips, giving him a light, soft kiss. "Goodnight."

**Author's Note:**

> Please give feedback on my writing and suggestions for how to improve, and if you enjoyed it, please leave kudos!
> 
> If you have a request for a ship and/or AU you would like to see, you may comment it if you would like. I do not guarantee that I will write for it, but if I like the idea, I'll consider it.


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